With holidays approaching, many seasoned citizens will be traveling for local shopping as well as flying to visit families hundreds of miles away. Especially at this festive time of year, they’ll be carrying credit cards and cash for buying gifts and other seasonal spending. Unfortunately, this makes them prime targets for fake drivers who are actually thieves on the prowl. This certainly doesn’t imply they’re all dangerous. We at travel4seniors.com are strong advocates for those who want to make honest money in the marketplace. However, we must caution older shoppers and travelers about using freelance drivers.

In several recent Chicago incidents, thieves in private cars posing as for-hire drivers robbed their passengers. According to news reports, this has been a growing concern there and in other big cities. Sadly, we can expect the holiday season to result to more such incidents.

Lyft, Uber and other services use unmarked private cars to pick up passengers. Unlike taxis, limos and buses, customers on the street have no certain way to know if they’re legitimate. Therefore, when you decide to call or click for a commercial ride, verify that it is a confirmed service with a registered driver, so you’ll get to your destination safely.